Arc escorts Twilight down the corridor to Celestia’s room with Scootaloo and Rose. He looks to her as they walk.
“From what I saw back there everyone seemed to be happy with your decision.”
Twilight sighs. “Yes.”
“You’re scared, mother?”
“That I am. What if I can’t…?!”
Arc interrupts her. “Now, now, don’t start that again. After all, the others agreed to stick around and help you with your duties.”
“Admittedly that’s the only thing keeping me going right now.”
Arc continues. “I’ve ordered some of the soldiers to visit the castle’s employees tonight. Let them know to report for work tomorrow morning.”
“Good. We can’t run the country without clerical aides, Hoof Maidens, janitors and everypony in-between.”
“Yes, well… I’ll try to help out too. But that’s going to be difficult.”
“I understand. You have a different job to do.”
“Someone has to go get Celestia and Decimus when he… respawns, or whatever it is he does.”
“But you’ve sent scouts to Light’s Hope, correct?”
Arc shakes his head. “Just the Scarlet Filly in the morning. I told her I’d give her a portal there just before first light.”
Scootaloo groans. “Decimus should be happy to see me.”
Rose turns to her. “Do you have your story straight?”
“I escaped from the guards before they could lock me in the dungeon and made my way to Light’s Hope via magical means.”
Twilight grimaces. “This still sounds pretty dangerous.”
Scootaloo smiles nervously. “Not for me. After all, Decimus trusts me completely.”
Arc sighs. “That’s the only reason I’m allowing you to continue, Scootaloo.”
“I’ll be okay. And somepony needs to report what’s going on in there, after all.”
“Yeah. If things look good I’ll organize a strike force to assault the base and take Celestia prisoner.”
Twilight gasps. “Do you have to?”
Arc nods. “Yes, Twilight. It’s for her own good.”
Scootaloo smiles. “We can find a way to bring her around after that.”
“Right. That is unless you’ve come up with something better.”
Twilight shakes her head. “No, I haven’t.”
“Then we don’t really have any other choice.”
Arriving at the room, Arc turns to the guards on either side of it.
“Anything to report?”
“Yes sir. The mares whom are serving as Princess Twilight’s… advisors entered the room a short time ago.”
Twilight raises an eyebrow. “They did?”
Scootaloo frowns. “What for?”
Rose shrugs. “I have no idea.”
Arc chuckles. “Guess there’s only one way to find out.”
Opening the door, Arc steps inside with the other two. Pinkie grins as she bounces over to them.
“Welcome back!”
Twilight appears confused. “What’s going on here?”
Rainbow Dash sighs. “To be honest with you, we were kinda worried.”
Applejack walks over and puts a hoof on her friend’s shoulder. “She means that we don’t think you should be alone right now, Twilight.”
Rarity nods. “So we’ve decided to guard you tonight.”
Fluttershy smiles. “Yes. That is, if it’s okay with you.”
“That’s fine, yes. But there’s only one bed here.”
Scootaloo looks to it. “I don’t think it’s big enough to hold all six of you.”
Arc chuckles. “If you want this to be a regular thing, I can have someone add some beds tomorrow, Twilight.”
“Yes, I’d like that. Um… but who would handle that?”
“Kibitz is already back in his office getting everything caught up.”
Rose giggles happily. “That and I’ve agreed to help him by acting as your personal aide, mother.”
Rainbow Dash frowns. “What about security? Who’s in charge right now?”
“I’ve appointed Lieutenant Flash Sentry to serve as Captain of the Royal Guard. He’ll make sure the castle is secure when I have to leave at some point.”
Fluttershy breathes a sight of relief. “That’s good. He’s a very capable officer from what I’ve seen.”
Applejack yawns. “Yeah. But we should probably get some rest now. After all, her royal highness has a busy day ahead of her tomorrow.”
Twilight looks away nervously. “Please don’t call me that, everypony. I’m still the same old me, after all.”
Pinkie shrugs. “If that’s what you want, sure! But what exactly are we now?!”
Arc chuckles. “Advisors, officially.”
Rose nods. “We were originally going to call you councilponies, but were afraid of alienating the Canterlot Town Council.”
Twilight shudders. “Right.”
Arc gestures to the door. “In any case, everyone get some rest and we can deal with what to do next in the morning.”
Scootaloo turns to him. “You too, Big Brother.”
“Huh?”
Applejack frowns. “Yes, when was the last time you slept?”
“I had a nice nap on the way to Canterlot.”
Fluttershy gasps. “How about before that?”
“Uh… I can’t actually remember.”
Rainbow Dash groans. “Yeah, you’d better sleep in tomorrow then.”
“Sadly I can’t do that.”
Rarity frowns. “Why not?!”
“Because I have to raise the sun.”
Pinkie points a hoof. “Can’t Twilight do that?!”
Applejack nods. “We’ll make sure she wakes up for it.”
Twilight bows her head. “No, I can’t.”
Scootaloo raises an eyebrow. “Not a morning pony?”
Rose clears her throat. “I believe what mother means is that she is unable to complete such a task due to a lack of magical prowess.”
Arc groans. “Rose!”
Twilight looks out the window at the setting sun. “No, she’s right. I’m just not powerful enough to do such a thing.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of that duty for you.”
“Thanks, Arc”
Rarity giggles. “In any case, let’s get ready for bed.”
Twilight looks over to Arc. “Um… can I talk to you privately for a moment?”
“If you really need to, sure.”
Rainbow Dash groans. “But you need your rest, Twilight!”
“It won’t take long. Let’s just step into the bathroom.”
“Alright.”
Arc and Twilight walk into the bathroom and close the door behind them. The others shrug, confused. Meanwhile, Arc turns to Twilight.
“What’s up?”
“I… uh… just wanted to say ‘thank you’.”
“Oh?”
“For talking me into this. Taking the throne, I mean.”
“Someone has to do it.”
“Right. That and if Princess Celestia knew about it, I’m sure she’d understand. Well… the princess I know, that is.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “You think the princess we rescued was a fake?”
Twilight shakes her head. “I already talked to Rose about that. She confirmed that the bio-scans of my friend match Princess Celestia. It really was her.”
“Are you sure?”
“Very much so. When she could talk normally again I asked her a number of things that only she would know. I even threw in a few ‘red herrings’ for good measure.”
“To trick her?”
“Yes. Had she answered incorrectly I would have known she was a fake. She answered everything correctly, but… still wasn’t herself.”
“Can you elaborate?”
“I can’t quite put my hoof on it. But I could feel that she was… different. While I know this doesn’t help, I did want to tell somepony.”
“Yes, well… we’ll have to do our best to bring the real princess back then.”
“If we can, yes.”
“Twilight?”
“Like you said. She’d be happy knowing I’m taking her place. But I need to think of the country as a whole.”
She sighs and looks up at Arc.
“Princess Celestia… may need to…”
Arc kneels down and puts a hand on Twilight’s shoulder as he looks her in the eye.
“I’ll do everything I can to make sure she comes back.”
“But it may not be possible.”
“Let’s not think about that right now. You just worry about leading the country while I figure out what to do about Celestia.”
“Alright. Um… there is one last thing I need to tell you though.”
“What is it?”
Twilight puts a hoof on Arc’s cheek and smiles. Leaning forward, she presses her lips against his. Arc puts his arms around her and pulls Twilight into an embrace. They continue for a few moments longer before breaking it off.
“I just wanted to say… that I trust you completely with my mentor and friend’s life, Arc.”
“Thanks. But we really need to get some rest.”
“Agreed. That and if we stay in here much longer, somepony’s going to come in after us.”
As if on cue, Pinkie and Rainbow Dash fall through the door. They quickly get up and look away nervously.
“Whoops! Guess I slipped!”
“Yeah! Me too!”
Arc chuckles. “It’s okay, you two. I was just leaving anyways.”
He exits the bathroom and heads for the door.
“Good night, everyone.”
With a quick wave, Arc leaves the room with Scootaloo. Turning to walk down the corridor together, she looks to him.
“Big Brother?”
“Yes, Scootaloo?”
“I just wanted to say… thank you.”
“What for?”
“For showing me how to be brave. That I can make a difference in this world for the greater good. And that I don’t have to be afraid.”
“You had it in you the whole time.”
“But you helped me realize that.”
Arc chuckles. “In that case, you’re welcome… Scarlet Filly.”
They laugh together as they approach a room. Scootaloo puts a hoof on it.
“Well, here’s my quarters.”
“You okay alone?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Oh, no reason. I mean… I’m still remembering when you would snuggle up to me every night.”
“I guess I’ve… been able to face my fears and come to terms with who and what I am.”
“That’s good.”
“And I would assume you’ll have some other bedmates anyways.”
“How do you know?”
“I’ve seen how those mares look at you, Big Brother.”
Arc smiles nervously. “Well, you see…”
“It’s fine. After all, I know you’ll treat them gentler than dad did with my mom.”
“But I’m not doing THAT with them!”
“At some point you will though.”
“…probably.”
Scootaloo smiles. “I know you want to. We’re connected, you know.”
“Does that bother you?”
“Not at all, Big Brother. You’re a stallion and have certain biological needs. Well, I won’t keep you any longer. Good night.”
“Good night, Scootaloo.”
Kneeling down, he gives her a hug and kiss on top of her head. Smiling, they go their separate ways. Arriving at his room Arc opens the door to find Ember, in her human form, and Hammer sitting on the bed together. Both are wearing only their bras and panties. Arc chuckles as he closes the door behind him.
“Kinda figured I’d find you two here”.
Hammer grins. “What can we say? You do it to us, Arc.”
Ember smiles nervously. “Yeah. Um… you’re not upset about what I did aboard The Equinox, are you?”
Arc shakes his head. “Not at all. Truth be told, I really enjoyed it.”
Ember blushes as her gaze lowers to his pants. “That I noticed back there.”
Hammer frowns. “I want in on that action next time then!”
Ember grins as she points to the bathroom. “There’s a huge bathtub in there. We could all go soak in it.”
Arc groans. “Not tonight. I’m pretty worn out.”
Hammer smiles. “Aw… well, I’m patient.”
Arc narrows his eyes. “Really, Hammer?”
“I haven’t jumped you recently.”
Ember shrugs. “Me either! Want to yeah, but…”
Arc groans as he begins undressing. “Seriously… I really need to get some rest. After I make a call, that is.”
Hammer frowns. “Can’t it wait?!”
Ember puts her hands on her hips. “Yeah, mister ‘I’m too tired to do anything’!”
“Trust me. This is important.”
Sitting down at the nearby desk in a T-shirt and shorts Arc picks up the receiver and waits for the operator to pick up.
“Yes, sir?”
“I need to speak with someone at the Crystal Hospital.”
“Yes sir. Whom shall I connect you with?”
“How about the front desk? They can direct me to whomever can help me.”
“One moment, sir.”
Arc is put on hold for a few minutes. Eventually a mare’s voice rings out.
“Crystal Hospital. How can I help you, sir?”
“I need to talk to someone about one of your patients. Her name is Auriel.”
“Yes sir. Um… forgive me, but she’s… not a pony, right?”
“Correct. Auriel is a demon.”
“Let me connect you with the nurse’s station in her ward. They’ll be able to tell you more about her condition.”
“Thank you.”
“One moment.”
He is put back on hold for a few moments before another mare’s voice comes on the line.
“Good evening, sir. I’m told you wish to know about a patient named Auriel.”
“Yes. How’s she doing?”
“The field doctor was able to remove most of the shrapnel from her belly. However there were some pieces he was unable to get to with the equipment at hoof.”
“Oh? So what was done?”
“She was brough here for a more intense surgery.”
“Has it concluded?”
“Yes sir. The patient was sent to a private room less than an hour ago.”
“Do you have the report?”
“It was just delivered. Let me see…”
The sound of papers shuffling can be heard before the mare speaks again.
“All shrapnel was successfully removed from the patient. An x-ray was performed to verify this. No major organs were hit and the patient is resting peacefully in her room thanks to some heavy painkillers.”
“And the recovery time?”
“Unknown, sir. We don’t have any data on her species. However it is believed that demons heal significantly faster than equines.”
Arc raises an eyebrow. “Believed?”
“Rumor and hearsay, sir. I’m sorry, but there just isn’t an established standard for this patient’s species. When sedating her for surgery we had to constantly monitor her vitals and adjust the flow of drugs so as not to kill her.”
“Very good. Do you have any idea when she could be transferred?”
“Forgive me sir, but we’re the finest hospital in the country, so there really isn’t a better place for her than here. Where did you want her to be sent?”
“Canterlot Castle’s Infirmary. I… wanted to speak to her personally about a few things.”
“We can call you when she wakes up for a phone interview tomorrow, sir.”
Arc shakes his head. “What I need to say should be done face to face. So whenever it’s safe to move her I want to be notified.”
“I’ll put a note in her file for the doctor to see when he checks on her in the morning. However please understand that this will have to be handled carefully, as we don’t want any harm to come to her from a premature transfer.”
“Agreed. If I can I’ll come over there sometime tomorrow to see how she’s doing personally.”
“Yes sir. Is there any particular treatments you want us to give her?”
“No. Just use your best judgment in that regard. And consult her personally when she wakes up. Auriel may be able to advise you on her species’ medical facts. In any case, thank you for your time.”
“It was my pleasure, sir.”
“Goodbye.”
Arc hangs up the phone and leans back in his chair. Ember and Hammer hang their heads.
“Sorry, Arc.”
“For what?”
Hammer looks away nervously. “We… kinda forgot about Auriel.”
Ember sighs. “Yeah. Here we are trying to bed you, and she’s hurt on the other side of the continent.”
“I’m sure she doesn’t hold that against either of you. But now I really need to get some sleep.”
Hammer nods soberly as she stands. “Right. We won’t keep you then.”
Ember follows her. “Yeah. We’ll head to our rooms.”
“Oh… okay. But…”
Hammer turns back. “Something else you need?”
“I’d still like it if you both stayed.”
Ember’s eyes light up happily. “You mean…?!”
“Yeah. I do like sleeping with you two.”
Hammer grins. “Knew you’d come around!”
“I mean literally sleeping.”
“Uh, yeah. What did you think Hammer meant?”
Arc chuckles. “We both know the answer to that.”
Hammer shrugs as she and Ember turn and walk back to the bed. “Can’t blame a gal for trying though.”